Mont Pinnacle (Eastern Townships): Trail Report

Mont Pinnacle (Eastern Townships): Trail Report

A long weekend in the Eastern Townships is always a good idea, mostly because they have something for everyone to enjoy. Hiking Mont Pinnacle was an easy win for the day, and we were rewarded with dramatic cliffs, calming waters, fresh winds, and rolling blue green mountains in the backdrop.

Suggested Stops

We stayed up at Mont Experience Hereford, an easy drive from Mont Pinnacle and lodgings that thoroughly enjoyed. They have four adorable pods for rent along with great campsites, all at the base of the hiking trails for Mont Hereford. There might be something to this glamping thing, because I certainly didn’t mind having a real bed, fire place, and shower for the weekend. 😉 #luckyduck In the area there is also Bleu Lavande and Parc-de-la-gorge-de-coaticook to visit.

Important Insights

Note that the trails are closed during the thaw period (spring, aka mud season).

Land Acknowledgement

These are the lands of the Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy) and Abenaki / Abénaquis people.⁠ It is important as avid hikers and stewards of the land, to acknowledge and understand the full story our surroundings along with the people that care for her, both past and present. As sourced from native-land.ca, if there are corrections please send to victoria@girlgonegood.com.

Land Management

Mont Pinnacle trail at Parc Harold F. Baldwin (Mont Pinacle - Sentier des Moulins) is managed by the Eastern Townships.

GPS Coordinates

45.03703458070481, -71.90876879557852

Street Address

1883 chemin May, Coaticook (QC) J1A 2S4

Directions

The parking for this trail is at the fire station where there’s plenty of room to park and the bonus of real washrooms. Oh and a spot to eat post hike as well. There is no parking at the trailhead itself. It’s an easy walk up the road 100m to reach the trailhead on the right.

Parking

Located at the Fire Station

Cell Reception

Yes

Washrooms

Washrooms available at the parking lot.

Accessibility

No

Trail Details

Entrance Fee

Hours of Operation

All seasons. Open dawn to dusk daily.

Trail Map

Available from Eastern Townships.

Trailhead

Located across the road from the parking lot. 100m up.

Number of Trails

4

Total Distance (km)

6

Elevation Gain (m)

675

Cell Reception

Yes

Features

Woodlands

Activities

Hiking

Dogs

Permitted on-leash

Trail Description

There are actually five extremely well marked trails for Mont Pinnacle. Each colour coded for easy recognition with a varied level of effort assigned to them. Like most trails, there is a large map on site to consult. There was also a Mont Pinnacle staff member at the trail start when we were hiking through and she gave us a good run down of each trail and her recommendations. We opted to hiked counter clockwise taking trail #5 on the ascent, crossing over to trail #1 for the main lookouts, then descending by trail #4. Why this route? Well, hiking up trail #5 means that it’s a slightly steeper ascent for a good 150m but worth it to reach the less busy view point of Petit lac Baldwin as well as some unofficial viewpoints on your way up to the first main lookout on trail #1. Trail #5 is also less crowded during peak times. Trail #1 has the two dramatic cliff bearing lookouts that give you an impressive view of Lac Lyster and the mountain range in the distance. Route 4 was suggested for the descent as it’s a nice wide, dirt trail with plenty of switchbacks. At all costs, we were told to avoid trail #3 which is the actual cliff route for climbers. Overall it is a very accessible and easy hike to enjoy. Only 30-45mins to reach the main lookouts! Now when we say accessible, I mean easy to hike, and not recommended for strollers and wagons (it’s too rocky in places). There are several lookout points along trail #5 yet the view you’ll see most in pictures is the one from the main lookout of trail #1. And with good reason, she’s a beaut. It was a little (read lot) windy up there and I didn’t mind one bit. The view was gorgeous and the lookout was wide enough that even with a little crowd, there was still enough views for everyone. It reminded a little of Eagles Nest and Rock Dunder near Ottawa.

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